Doug Hill ⋅ Kearneysville, WV PC Construction ⋅ 20 years experience

Actually, being honest with the HR manager is a good approach. But...the applications I have seen only ask for "felonies" to be listed and has the next section for explaining that felony. If it isn't a government job, it probably won't be a problem. And most traffic tickets that are more than 3 years old don't apply and usually traffic tickets only matter if you are required to operate a company truck. I'm not advising that you lie, but if they aren't asking then it isn't important. Good Luck! You can get past this. A lot of veterans have.

Barry Sosnick ⋅ Greenlawn, NY Great Whites Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics ⋅ 5 years experience

Everyone has made mistakes. I know people who bounced back from far worse. A good friend of mine from college spent time in prison due to a fight and he is a CFO of a well regarded and funded non-profit. Prior to that he worked at a hedge fund and major consulting firm. It wasn't easy, but it is possible.

Check the labor law for California. California Protections for Job Seekers With Criminal Records. California tends to offer greater protection to prospective employees with criminal records than most states. Please review the California Fair Employment fact sheet (http://www.dfeh.ca.gov/res/docs/Publications/DFEH-161.pdf). There is a number to contact for specific questions. Some states limit the disclosure of convictions to felonies. I am not sure if California is one of those states.

I agree with the advice above. Pay off your tickets and try to get your conviction sealed or expunged. Contact your elected officials, the arrested agency and the district attorney's office for assistance. You should also consider working with a criminal attorney.

Best of luck!

Michael McIrvin ⋅ Mcpherson, KS Pain Relief Center ⋅ 23 years experience

Even if you must borrow money, pay the tickets. The last thing you need is to have an outstanding arrest warrant because of a traffic violation. You may want to speak with an attorney about doing something about the misdemeanor. Sometimes these can be removed. Also, its a sad fact that many times in the civilian sector, military training is not highly regarded compared to civilian college degrees and vocational training. Sorry, that's just the way it is. If you have an interest in a particular field, try to find additional training college or otherwise. As a veteran you should be able to find assistance for this type of training. Keep the faith and good luck!

Paul Trejo ⋅ Austin, TX University of Texas at Austin ⋅ 40 years experience

Jeremy, thanks for your years of service. Time to put your best foot forward. Pay all your traffic and parking tickets right now -- ASAP -- and this will definitely help.

Remember, the important thing now isn't your past -- the important thing is WHAT YOU DO NEXT.

Best wishes,
--Paul

Larry Steward ⋅ Aiken, SC Stewardship Coaching ⋅ 30 years experience

Hi Jeremy,

That is brave of you to put your past mistakes out in the open and take responsibility for moving forward to make things happen. In your short and honest statement I get a good solid feeling about your commitment to make a difference, especially as a family man. Good for you. Positive things can now happen. Most important, you need to control the process. Don't lead with this information as a way to introduce yourself to future employers. It will be better to explain to people your desire to move in a certain direction based on your determination to do work that truly appeals to you. You need to be prepared and up front with people, as you demonstrated on this forum, that yes you made some mistakes and you learned a hard lesson but that is behind you. In fact it has made you more determined than ever to start doing work you would love to do and create a successful career.

I always advise people looking for their next job to prepare a resume but know how to use it. Now this will sound weird I know but sending out resumes to job openings in general for ANYONE and especially in your case will be the least productive way to go about this. It should be use more as a "leave behind" after meeting with someone.

I can't take the time it requires to explain everything I would like to here, so read a book that is considered the bible of how to job search - "What Color Is Your Parachute" for all the appropriate details. And other books about how to network. Take my word on this and don't let this slip by. It's your life and happiness we're talking about. It's worth the investment of your time to fully understand the best way to present yourself based on the strong interests you have and the commitment you are willing to give it.

It hurts me to hear someone like yourself who is so willing to do what it takes to make an important career move but you just don't have the right tools yet. And I'm not talking about the best resume ever. A resume in general can cause more harm than help and most people never learn this.

What you will learn from a book like this is a way to engage in connecting with people who are doing the work you want to do next. This is not setting up a job interview. This is doing homework to find young people like yourself who have somehow found a way to get where they are today. Like them, you want to know how they did that. They have the information you are seeking. And if they are like other humans, they will understand and appreciate why you are interested to talk to them. They probably did something similar to get the position they have now and should be willing to share that experience with you in addition to giving you helpful information about someone else you can talk to.

Now I know this sounds like a long way around to find a job opening but it is absolutely not. If you don't do it the right way however, it can come off its tracks and go no where. That is why reading about the method and understanding how to be pursue this is important. It will put you back in control, talking with people who can help and get you closer to finding an opportunity to create a position for yourself faster than any other steps you can take.

So instead of wondering when you are going to hear back from someone you sent a resume to or waiting to hear about the job opening you applied for some time ago and getting frustrated thinking that there is nothing happening - you will be meeting with interesting people doing things you would love to do and learning quickly how to get where they are.

It really works and I encourage you to put some energy behind learning the techniques of EFFECTIVE networking. You will be amazed how many doors it opens and how many opportunities can be created in the process.